The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-07-22

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Now that there Il no danger Of the
battle fags being returned. We may
perhaps carefully discuss the whole sic
uation in regard to them We have
held from the first that II would be- .
great mistake 10 return them. We
should rather have all the battle flags
Of both sides turned over to the United
States Government, not 10 be put
away where they would decay and do
nobody any good. but to be kept and
preserved from decay. as mementoes Of
q past age. when the present age be-
comes past age
In the heat q the moment . good
deal has been said which those who
said il would now be glad 10 recall
There IL no occasion for any deadly
strife over the matter. There was no
plot" Of any kind No Southern
State has impcriousiy demanded its
battle flags.
The leading Southern newspaper. the
Louisville Conricr-.journal. expresses
the Southern sentiment on the matter
In the following way:
Nobody in the South. certainly no Southern
State and no Confederate soldier. cares
nickel whether the battie-ffags are returned or
not II there Is single soldier in the North
who would retain them a. trophies, he - vel.
come 10 ali the glory and all the display which
they can recall 70 his mind or bring 70
his heart To Us they mean nothing whatever.
Assurcdly. they betokcn no greater loss on the
side OF the North than on shat OF the South,
and. 10 sound and healthy understanding. it
Is Uncomfortable how their possession can be .
matter of moment " concern 70 any patriotic
bosom As well might we rejoice IN the pres
ervation and exhibition OF the bloody phara-
phernaiia Of the hospital or the rostlng ccre-
ments q the grave.
All Of which il very sensible. The
South has no need Of the battle-f flags.
We have ssid that they should be kept
as mcmentoes Of q mighty struggle.
Perhaps 1t is better that they should rot
away in the vaults II the War Depart
ment Perhaps the sooner they rot the
better. So far as we are concerned we
have no use for them. one way or the
other. preferring to turn our minds to
the victories that Peace has, no less
than War.
1t has been the history Of mankind
in general. and no less Of modern man.
that the issues Of the present have
been less poten than the issues Of the
past. Humanity is always genera
ton behind its own interest We
boast Of the progress and the discov-
cries Of our age. SO did our fathers.
But why did their fathers. and why did
ours. leave 50 many things to be dis
covered? Because they were always
fooling away their time on just such
ancient oul-of-date nonsense as this
battle-hag QUERY.
II half the thought and energy that
has been bestowed on victory already
securely won had been devoted 70 the
new conquests needing, aud sadly
needing to be won. the world would
be much further advanced than il is
to-day. But it seems the fate OF human
beings TO be always excited about
every thing else except what concerns
them For this reason more than any
other they grovcl and toll and suffer.
The moment they learn some sense
and forget all about war and its follies
and agonies they will begin to prosper,
and the prosperity will become gener-
al. What Is the matter with Europe
to-day? Every nation there is imbucd
with exactly the same instinct. and no
other. that animates the Republican
party Of this country Ii is the in
stinct of war This war feeling leads
to big armies. ard big army expenses.
The reuslt il that the industrious toiler
is crushed 70 the earth.
On this side the war feeling does not
result in big armies. because it is 80
plainly evident that they are not need
ed. But it disturbs our politics. and
leads to their being cast on lines en-
tirely inconsistent with the best inter-
ests Of the country. Instead Of think
ing about the matters Of to-day we are
kept constantly in agitation about the
securely-settled matters ola generation
ago. Greater folly could not even be
dreamed Of. --Des Moincs ia Leader.